What does “harau” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “harau” normally to mean ‘to pay’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this verb as it is sometimes used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain it together with its major conjugations. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners use “harau” more properly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
- Definition and meaning of “harau”
- Harawanai: the nai form of “harau”
- Haraou: the volitional form of “harau”
- Haraimasu: the masu form of “harau”
- Haratta: the ta form of “harau”
- Haratte: the te form of “harau”
- Haraeba: the ba form of “harau”
- Summary
Definition and meaning of “harau”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “harau”.
- harau – 払う (はらう) : a verb meaning ‘to pay’ in Japanese.
The definition and meaning are simple and clear, I think. Then, let me explain how to use this verb through the example sentence below.
Example #1: how to say “pay” in Japanese
watashi wa maitsuki yachin wo harau – 私は毎月家賃を払う (わたしはまいつきやちんをはらう)
I pay my rent every month.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “watashi” to make the subject in the sentence.
- maitsuki – 毎月 (まいつき) : an adverb meaning ‘every month’ in Japanese.
- yachin – 家賃 (やちん) : a noun meaning ‘rent’ in Japanese.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “yachin” to make the object in the sentence.
This is a typical usage of “harau”. In the example, it works together with the case particle, “wo”, to have the object. When we want to mean ‘to pay’ in Japanese, anyway, this verb is a very good option.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “harau” and how to use it through the example sentence. In the rest part of this blog post, I will explain its major conjugations. The first one is “harawanai”.
Harawanai: the nai form of “harau”
Below are the definition and meaning of “harawanai”.
- harawanai – 払わない (はらわない) : the nai form of “harau”, which means ‘not to pay’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “harawanai” consists of the following two parts:
- harawa – 払わ (はらわ) : one conjugation of “harau”. This can have a smooth connection with “nai”.
- nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this auxiliary verb is very similar to that of “not”.
From these two parts, we can understand that “harawanai” is literally the nai form of “harau” and means ‘not to pay’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to say “don’t pay” in Japanese
kanojo tachi wa okane wo harawanai – 彼女達はお金を払わない (かのじょたちはおかねをはらわない)
They don’t pay money.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
- tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, this is used after “kanojo” to make its plural form, “kanojo tachi”, which means ‘they’ in Japanese. Learn more about Japanese plural.
- okane – お金 (おかね) : a noun meaning ‘money’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “harawanai”. When we want to mean ‘not to pay’ in Japanese, this nai form is a good option.
Haraou: the volitional form of “harau”
Below are the definition and meaning of “haraou”.
- haraou – 払おう (はらおう) : the volitional form of “harau”, which expresses volition to pay.
Grammatically, “haraou” consists of the following two parts:
- harao – 払お (はらお) : one conjugation of “harau”. This can have a smooth connection with “u”.
- u – う : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make its volitional form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “haraou” is literally the volitional form of “harau” and expresses volition to pay. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #3: how to say “let’s pay” in Japanese
karera ni chuui wo haraou – 彼等に注意を払おう (かれらにちゅういをはらおう)
Let’s pay attention to them.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- karera – 彼等 (かれら) : a pronoun meaning ‘they’ in Japanese.
- ni – に : a case particle used to say in which direction an action goes. In the example, this is used after “karera” to say to whom the speakers pay attention.
- chuui – 注意 (ちゅうい) : a noun meaning ‘attention’ or such in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “haraou”. In this example, it works to make the suggestion. When we want to say “let’s pay” in Japanese, this volitional form is a good option.
Interestingly, the English phrase, “pay attention”, corresponds very well to the Japanese one, “chuui wo harau”. It’s worth knowing.
Haraimasu: the masu form of “harau”
Below are the definition and meaning of “haraimasu”.
- haraimasu – 払います (はらいます) : the masu form of “harau”, which means ‘to pay’ politely in Japanese.
Grammatically, “haraimasu” consists of the following two parts:
- harai – 払い (はらい) : one conjugation of “harau”. This can have a smooth connection with “masu”.
- masu – ます : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese masu form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “haraimasu” is literally the masu form of “harau” and means ‘to pay’ politely in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #4: how to say “pay” politely in Japanese
boku wa maishuu kanojo ni okane wo haraimasu – 僕は毎週彼女にお金を払います (ぼくはまいしゅうかのじょにおかねをはらいます)
I pay money to her every week.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
- maishuu – 毎週 (まいしゅう) : an adverb meaning ‘every week’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “haraimasu”. Its politeness has not been reflected in the English sentence, but the Japanese sentence sounds polite thanks to the masu form. When we want to say “pay” politely in Japanese, this form is a good option.
Haratta: the ta form of “harau”
Below are the definition and meanings of “haratta”.
- haratta – 払った (はらった) : the ta form of “harau”, which means ‘paid’ or such in Japanese.
Grammatically, “haratta” consists of the following two parts:
- harat – 払っ (はらっ) : one conjugation of “harau”. This can have a smooth connection with “ta”.
- ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “haratta” is literally the ta form of “harau” and means ‘paid’ or such in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #5: how to say “paid” in Japanese
ore wa mou yachin wo haratta – 俺はもう家賃を払った (おれはもうやちんをはらった)
I paid my rent already.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- ore – 俺 (おれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ rudely in Japanese.
- mou – もう : an adverb meaning ‘already’ or such in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “haratta”. When we want to use the past tense form of “harau”, this ta form is the best option.
Haratte: the te form of “harau”
Below are the definition and meaning of “haratte”.
- haratte – 払って (はらって) : the te form of “harau”, which means ‘to pay’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “haratte” consists of the following two parts:
- harat – 払っ (はらっ) : one conjugation of “harau”. This can have a smooth connection with “te”.
- te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “haratte” is literally the te form of “harau”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “haratte” is very useful when we want to use “harau” in front of another verb, an adjective, or an auxiliary verb. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #6: how to say “please pay” in Japanese
yachin wo haratte kudasai – 家賃を払ってください (やちんをはらってください)
Please pay your rent.
Below is the new word used in the example sentence.
- kudasai – ください : one conjugation of the verb, “kudasaru”, which means ‘to give’ or such in Japanese. When this follows a verb, however, this can work like an auxiliary verb to add the meaning of ‘please’. In the example, this works like an auxiliary verb after “haratte” to add the meaning of ‘please’.
This is a typical usage of “haratte”. In the example, it has the smooth connection with “kudasai”. When we want to use “harau” in front of another verb like this, its te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
Haraeba: the ba form of “harau”
Lastly, let me explain the definition and meaning of “haraeba”.
- haraeba – 払えば (はらえば) : the ba form of “harau”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to pay’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “haraeba” consists of the following two parts:
- harae – 払え (はらえ) : one conjugation of “harau”. This can have a smooth connection with “ba”.
- ba – ば : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its ba form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “haraeba” is literally the ba form of “harau”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “haraeba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to pay’ in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #7: how to say “if pay” in Japanese
okane wo haraeba, jinja ni haireru – お金を払えば、神社に入れる (おかねをはらえば、じんじゃにはいれる)
If you pay, you can enter the shrine.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- jinja – 神社 (じんじゃ) : a noun meaning ‘shrine’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- haireru – 入れる (はいれる) : a potential verb meaning ‘can enter’ or ‘to be able to enter’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “haraeba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “okane wo haraeba”, which means ‘if you pay (money)’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to pay’ in Japanese, this ba form is a good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “harau” together with its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- harau – 払う (はらう) : a verb meaning ‘to pay’ in Japanese.
- harawanai – 払わない (はらわない) : the nai form of “harau”, which means ‘not to pay’ in Japanese.
- haraou – 払おう (はらおう) : the volitional form of “harau”, which expresses volition to pay.
- haraimasu – 払います (はらいます) : the masu form of “harau”, which means ‘to pay’ politely in Japanese.
- haratta – 払った (はらった) : the ta form of “harau”, which means ‘paid’ or such in Japanese.
- haratte – 払って (はらって) : the te form of “harau”, which means ‘to pay’ in Japanese. When we want to use “harau” in front of another verb, this te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
- haraeba – 払えば (はらえば) : the ba form of “harau”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to pay’ in Japanese.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
